Most humans suffer from tooth decay and/or gingivitis caused by bacteria in the mouth. As a result, decreasing the amount of plaque in the mouth has long been the target of persons working in the health care field. A common way of minimizing the plaque in the mouth is to brush the teeth regularly.
However, the benefits of frequent brushing can be accompanied in some instances by deleterious side effects such as irritation, abrasion and even recession of the gums. These side effects may, in part, result from excessive stiffness and/or sharpness of the toothbrush bristles.
Another common way of improving oral health is by massaging the gums to stimulate the gingival tissue. Conventional toothbrushes tend to have limited effectiveness for gum-massaging, and thus often a separate gum-massaging procedure, using a gum-massaging tool, is required to ensure good oral health.
Endeavors have been made to reduce gum irritation and/or provide a gum-massaging effect by replacing some or all of the toothbrush bristles with rubber or synthetic rubber pins. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,883.